Swiss gold watch with rare Debaufré escapement Circa 1830

Gold open faced pocket watch for the Chinese market by Dubois & fils
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A Swiss pocket watch with very rare Debaufré escapement, jumping centre seconds, regulator dial and mock pendulum for the Chinese market, circa 1830. The watch has an 18k gold case that is polished and has a reeded band. The dome is signed and the case maker punch mark is HMF. The enamel dial is signed and has Arabic numerals for peripheral hour indication. The watch also has a centre seconds function, an aperture for a mock pendulum, and gold Breguet hands. The full plate movement is frosted and gilt with a Debaufré escapement and a three-arm ring balance. The steel balance bridge is mirror-polished.
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Diameter: 58 mm
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Weight: 115 g
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Signed: Du Bois & fils, Le Locle
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Du Bois & Fils,
In 1785 Philippe Du Bois and his sons founded the Du Bois & Fils 1785 watch company at the family seat in Le Locle. Du Bois had already established extensive business connections all over Europe and America as a cloth merchant, which made things much easier for the start-up watch company. During the 19th century, Du Bois & Fils opened branches in Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and the United States and business boomed. Due to its proximity to the trade fairs, the German Frankfurt branch was particularly important.
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The Debaufré Escapement, Invented by P. Debaufré in 1704, this escapement is distinguished by having two escape wheels which are mounted on the same arbour. The escape wheels are staggered. They interact with a semi-circular, wedge-shaped pallet on the balance staff which has chamfered edges. The wheels, which alternately rest on the flat underside or escape past it, impart the impulse to the balance.